Lullaby for a Stormy Night
by Selene the Slytherin
Summary: Royai. Little Riza Hawkeye is afraid of thunderstorms. What will her father's new apprentice, Roy Mustang, do when he hears her crying? Inspired by "Lullaby for a Stormy Night" by Vienna Tang. Please read and review.


**A/N: This story was inspired by a video a saw on Youtube and the song it used. I own nothing. But, I'm planning to get a blue Mustang, and name it Roy. And, I totally sing that song to my son during thunderstorms now. **

**FYI: Due to their age, any interactions between them are perfectly innocent. I know most of you will understand that, but I still think I should include it in the disclaimer anyway.**

**Post this link to the mmv and song that inspired this fic: .com /watch?v=sCUKMWnj6fI**

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The storm raging outside made it impossible for Roy Mustang to fall asleep. The eleven year-old boy had recently begun his alchemy training under Master Hawkeye, and had come to live with the master and his daughter, Riza; and the rumbling thunder and flashes of lightning were giving him plenty of opportunity to contemplate the odd people he was now living with.

His master was pretty eccentric, and most of the time Roy had no idea what the supposed training he was being put through had to do with alchemy. Seriously, what did helping Riza wash dishes have to do with training? Of course, he could never ask Master Hawkeye. His master would just tell him that he needed to figure it out on his own, that being able to make sense out of the nonsensical might benefit him greatly in the future. That was what Master Hawkeye had told him the one time Roy had asked how chores were related to alchemy.

Riza was weird, too. It was unnatural for an eight year-old girl like her to be so quiet, obedient, and polite all of the time. In Roy's opinion, she needed to learn how to have fun. Roy was more than willing to teach her how to play tag or some other game. But, he was so busy all of the time with his "training". The only time he spent with Riza was while they were doing chores, or going grocery shopping.

Just after a particularly bright flash of lightning, he heard a whimper from the room next to his. He disregarded it as Riza murmuring something in her sleep. That is, until he heard a sob after the crash of thunder that accompanied the lightning. The noise sounded like sobbing this time.

He got up to investigate. For a while, he tip-toed quietly down the hallway as to not disturb the master; then, it occurred to him that he was as quiet as a mouse compared to all of the thunder.

He eased open Riza's door. It creaked, but she didn't seem to hear him. She was huddled under the sheets, shaking and sobbing. It was more than Roy could take to see the quiet little girl so upset.

Even after all of the pranks he had pulled on her, like taking all of the laces out of her shoes or dropping worms on her while she was reading, she had never lost her temper or cried. Every time, she would always turn and look at him, calm as ever, and sigh, "Honestly, Mr. Mustang…"

"Riza," he whispered, shutting the door quietly behind him. "Riza, are you all right?"

Her head popped out from underneath her covers. As another bolt of lightning tore through the sky, he saw streams of tears running down her face. "Mr. Mustang? What are you doing in my room?"

He sat down at the edge of her bed. "Are you afraid of the storm, Riza?"

"Of course not, Mr. Mustang. Father explained that thunderstorms are just lights, sounds, and wind. It cannot hurt me," she explained, doing her best to sound as calm and collected as she always did.

"Just call me 'Roy', alright? It's so weird being called 'Mr. Mustang'. And it's alright to be afraid, Riza," he said, lying back on the bed. "Did you know that I used to be afraid of thunderstorms, too?"

"Really, Mister…I mean, Roy?" Riza asked, peeking her head even further out from under her covers. "How-?"

She was interrupted by a flash of lighting the caused her to cringe once more.

"When I was younger, my aunt used to sing me a lullaby that helped me get to sleep. Wanna hear it?" Roy asked.

Riza nodded, before another crash of thunder caused her to whimper in fear.

Roy cleared his throat and began to sing softly.

"**Little child, **

**be not afraid,  
though rain pounds harshly against the glass,  
like an unwanted stranger. **

**There is no danger.  
I am here tonight.**

**Little child, **

**be not afraid,  
though thunder explodes, **

**and lightning flash  
illuminates your tear-stained face.  
I am here tonight.**

**And someday you'll know  
that nature is so.  
The same rain that draws you near me  
falls on rivers and land  
on forests and sand;  
makes the beautiful world that you'll see  
in the morning.**

**Little child, **

**be not afraid,  
though storm clouds mask your beloved moon  
and its candlelight beams, **

**still keep pleasant dreams.  
I am here tonight.**"

The wind blew the branches of the trees outside into the window, causing them to scratch against the glass. Riza clutched at Roy in fear, tears starting to fall once more.

He sighed. It figured that just when Riza was starting to fall asleep, something else would happen to make her scared again. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her and shushed her compassionately before beginning to sing again.

"**Little child, **

**be not afraid,  
though wind makes creatures of our trees,  
and their branches to hands. **

**they're not real, understand?  
And I am here tonight.**"

"Thank you, Roy," Riza yawned contentedly, starting to feel drowsy. "I'm not afraid anymore."

"No problem, Riza."

Roy figured it wouldn't do any harm to stay until she fell asleep. So he continued to sing the lullaby until her eyes finally closed.

"**And someday you'll know  
that nature is so.  
The same rain that draws you near me  
falls on rivers and land  
on forests and sand;  
makes the beautiful world that you'll see  
in the morning.**"

Once she was unmistakably asleep, he tried to escape from her grasp. But, even in her sleep, she was tenacious as ever and refused to let him go. So, Roy decided that an escape would be futile, considering all of the trouble he had gone through to get her to fall asleep. Resignedly, he surrendered to her unbreakable grip and whispered, "Good night, Riza."

The next morning at breakfast, neither acknowledged what had happened the previous night. Instead, they greeted each other as though the events of the last night had never occurred.

However, whenever there was a storm, Roy and Riza could be found in the same bed, even during the Ishbal Rebellion**. **Anytime he went to her during a thunderstorm, he would invariably sing her to sleep.**  
**

Riza never told him this, but she had been cured of her astrapophobia that very first night he had sung her to sleep. However, the companionship was something she enjoyed, and which always made her feel safe, no matter what was going on around her. Not to mention, once she was grown and old enough to properly enjoy sharing her bed with Roy, she found it quite pleasant having him serenade her.

Once, she had hated thunderstorms; but the older she grew, the more she looked forward to a storm.

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Years later, a mother held her young son, singing him that same lullaby, while a storm raged on outside. The storm was dying down, and she was approaching the end of the song.

"**For you know,**

**once even I was a  
little child, **

**and I was afraid.  
But a gentle someone always came  
to dry all my tears, **

**trade sweet sleep for fears  
and to give a kiss goodnight.**

**Well now I am grown,  
and these years have shown,  
that rain's a part of how life goes.  
But it's dark and it's late,  
so I'll hold you and wait  
'til your frightened eyes do close.**"

The little boy's eyes were fluttering open and shut, a sure sign that he was falling asleep. His mother was going to end her song there, but the boy's father had been watching the scene for a long time, recalling all of the times he had held the woman and sung that very same song to her so many times before. He decided that it was time to enter the room and softly sang the next line.

"**And I hope that you'll know...**"

The mother joined her voice to her husband's in an oft-practiced harmony, as she scooted aside to make room on the bed for him to join them.

"**That nature is so.  
The same rain that draws you near me  
falls on rivers and land  
on forests and sand;  
makes the beautiful world that you'll see  
in the morning.**

**Everything's fine in the morning.  
The rain'll be gone in the morning.  
But we'll still be here in the morning.**"

The father kissed his slumbering son on the forehead. "Good night, Ryan." Then, he carefully leaned over his child, without disturbing him, to kiss his wife. "Good night, Riza."

"Good night, Mr. Mustang."

The sun rose the next morning, illuminating the happy family cramped on the son's small bed. Sandwiched between his parents, one would have assumed that the three of them were horribly uncomfortable. But, mother, father, and son looked as content and comfortable as anyone could be.

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Reviews are love. And this is my first FMA fic!_


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